Stairs are often forgotten when looking at floor renovations, but flooring.org hasn’t forgotten about them. We have an extensive inventory of stair treads, risers, and noses. First, let’s explain what those terms mean.
- Stair treads are the part of the stairs you walk on. With hardwood stairs it is normally a single wood plank with a rounded front edge.
- The riser is the vertical part of each step when the steps are “closed”. Typically the risers use the same wood as the treads, but some people like to use a contrasting color or white to highlight the treads.
- A stair nose is a transition piece between two stair levels. It is also known as a bullnose and is essentially a narrow tread with a grooved end.
Stairs may also be open, where either both sides are exposed to view, or the risers are missing and you can look through the stairs. This can reduce costs for the unneeded risers, but there is also more labor because more sides of each tread must be given a finished look. You can also save some money by using cheaper woods for the risers and painting them, or by using flooring and stair noses on each tread rather than solid wood planks for the treads.
When planning to add a flight of stairs to a floor project, estimate the amount of wood needed by assuming the stairs will use 400 square feet of wood. This may sound excessive, but stairs are the most labor and material intensive part of a flooring project. Unless you have excellent carpentry skills, you may wish to work with a professional installer once you have obtained your preferred hardwood flooring from Flooring.org.
If you have questions about stair installations, contact Flooring.organd let our professionals guide you to the solutions we have available for you. Call us at 800-689-9006 or leave us a message via our home page for a chat.
